June 2025 – Page 8 – This is Not Cool

2 Degrees Now on the Horizon

“A small but non-zero chance” of 2 degrees above pre-industrial before 2030.

fuck.

Global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years, increasing climate risks and impacts on societies, economies and sustainable development, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Key messages

80% chance that at least one of the next five years will exceed 2024 as the warmest on record
86% chance that at least one of next five years will be more than 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average
70% chance that 5-year average warming for 2025-2029 will be more than 1.5 °C
Long-term warming (averaged over decades) remains below 1.5°C
Arctic warming predicted to continue to outstrip global average
Precipitation patterns have big regional variations

Jay Inslee on the Big Ugly Threat to Clean Energy

MeidasTouch gets a little over the top sometimes..OK a lot of times – but they does consistently bring up important topics that the mainstream media is not adequately covering.
This video has an opening rant that you can skip over, and go to the interview about 3 minutes in – Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington, and a keen advocate for clean energy. Everyone who is working in the energy space should understand what Inslee is saying here.

Important messages:

“When people think if clean energy, you know, they think of nuclear scientists, or photovoltaic engineers.
These are blue collar jobs.
These are skilled jobs in making these turbines, manufacturing, construction jobs, putting them up, maintaining them, these are high tech manufacturing.

These are the jobs we want our kids to have if they don’t want to spend 400,000 dollars going to college. It’s exactly what we’ve all been talking about -how to create the new jobs for the working families.”
—

Musk’s Colossus in Memphis

More Perfect Union is on of the most vital producers of progressive themed videos in the world right now. This one deserves to be seen.

NBC:

Local regulators should immediately stop Elon Musk’s supercomputer project from operating in South Memphis because it’s out of compliance with environmental rules, the NAACP wrote in a letter sent Thursday to Shelby County officials.

The civil rights group addressed the request to Dr. Michelle Taylor, director of the Shelby County Health Department, and to the commissioners of Memphis Light Gas and Water. The health department is responsible for implementing federal air regulations in Shelby County, which encompasses Memphis.

“Being the world’s richest man doesn’t give you the right to pollute Black communities and jeopardize the health of its residents,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement to NBC News. “We urge the health department to step in immediately.”

When contacted, a spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water said it had not received the NAACP letter and could not comment on it. Neither the health department nor xAI immediately responded to questions about the letter, which was also signed by the presidents of the Tennessee and Memphis chapters of the NAACP.

Repealing Clean Energy Tax Credits Will Raise Prices for Ratepayers

Utility Dive:

Repealing technology-neutral clean energy tax credits would raise the cost of energy for consumers and industry across 19 states from 2026 to 2032 by increasing reliance on natural gas generation sources that have constrained availability, according to a new study released Thursday by the Clean Energy Buyers Association.
Republicans in Congress have targeted the tax credits for early phase-out as they seek to fulfill President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to extend certain tax cuts and repeal clean energy incentives the president has derided as a “scam.”
The study found that energy-intensive sectors such as iron and steel, chemicals, cement, aluminum and nonferrous metals would be hardest hit.

The study, which NERA Economic Consulting conducted for CEBA, modeled the state-level electricity market outlooks assuming incremental electricity demand from the growth of data centers under two scenarios, with and without the federal investment and production tax incentives. It also provided a breakdown of projected cost increases in certain states.

Seven of the 19 states would see double-digit percentage increases in average household and business electricity prices in the 2026-2032 period, according to the study. Maine would see the highest average increases, projected at 20% for households and 19.3% for businesses.

The increased costs would reduce economic growth, the study states.

Are We Getting a 25K EV Pickup?

Modular, configurable, stripped down, bare bones design – it’s a Slate. A blank Slate, for your creativity, get it?

Jeff Bezos is backing this new American EV company that might be on to something.
Above, conversation with car-guy Sandy Munro.
Below, part by part first look.

Slateforum:

🛠 Recar to Slate: A Startup’s Unconventional Launchpad
The company now known as Slate began as Recar, incubating in a borrowed space within the speaker’s own factory. This symbolic origin underscores how community and mentorship can foster innovation. Unlike most EV startups funded by billions, Slate began almost from scratch—with a team of auto veterans and sheer grit.
⚡ Blitz-Scaling the EV Development Cycle
In an industry where vehicle development typically takes half a decade or more, Slate moved from inception to crash-tested, production-ready model in just over two years. It earned a five-star safety rating (including Sorb testing), mapped out cost structures, and finalized a factory in Indiana—all on a modest budget. The speaker marvels at this pace, framing it as a modern echo of America’s WWII industrial feats.
🪓 Radical Minimalism: How to Profit from a $20K EV
Slate’s model is the antithesis of Tesla or Rivian. Rather than starting at the high-end to offset costs, they launched with a $20,000 utility EV. The path to profitability required stripping the vehicle down to its core—removing every non-essential system and designing for simplicity and adaptability. This extreme cost discipline is the only way to make money at that price point.
🔧 Innovation in Manufacturing: Tailor-Welded Blanks and Functional Modularity
Slate’s manufacturing approach reflects high-efficiency thinking. Tailor-welded blanks allow multiple thicknesses of steel to be joined before stamping—saving material and reducing scrap. Additionally, the vehicle’s modular design lets it convert from a truck to an SUV in 75 minutes using wrap panels, a feature unmatched by other automakers. It’s smart, frugal engineering at its best.

Remarkable Video Predicted Blatten Avalanche Just Hours Before

Posted mere hours before the Blatten avalanche event, this remarkable video summarizes the threat that had been evolving for some time, and the science that predicted an imminent event.

Good example of how science saves lives.

Canadian Fires Bring Air Quality Alerts to Midwest

Interview with Meteorologist Mathew Cappucci is helpful.

Air quality impact not as bad as 2023 – yet, but clear threat as very significant fires continue in Canada, as “a really significant event” according to Cappucci.

Air quality reading pretty good now in central Michigan, but Friday evening, when we had an alert in effect, I took a walk and definitely felt the impact.

Below, Harvard’s Loretta Mickley on health impact of wildfire smoke.
It’s not trivial.